Full of Pasta

One of my parenting hacks is “put that crab in water.” As in, when they were grumpy babies I put my kids in the bath and now as grumpy grouches on rainy weekends, I take my kids to the pool.

Last weekend I asked Poppy to go get dressed for the pool and as she walked out of her bedroom wearing last summer’s bikini, she cupped her bare stomach in her palms and sighed, “look at my belly.”

I felt every muscle in my body tense and my breath became shallow and I managed to squeak out a (fake) breezy “oh?”

“It’s full of pasta,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“It’s full of pasta!” I replied (my other parenting hack: when I don’t know what to say, I just repeat what they said to buy myself some time. I have yet to be called out on using this strategy.)

“I am going to get so strong!” And with that my six-year-old showed me (yet again) that she knows more than I do.

{image: instagram.com/photographerbrittnicole}

Stuff I Love This Week

I wish I could say I’ve attacked this new year with fervour but if I’m being honest, so far 2023 has been a bit wobbly. I’m not feeling any sort of way about it, I’m just naming it. Things feel a bit wobbly right now. They won’t feel wobbly forever.

I’m hibernating a bit, cuddling up in cozy blankets and wearing soft pants and lighting candles and consuming a lot of content. I love a lot of stuff this week is what I’m saying.

  • Island of the Sea Wolves on Netflix. I wanted to watch this with the kids but they slowly dropped out partway through the first episode while Shawn and I are deeply invested as we finish up the third and final. I feel so grateful to live in such a beautiful province and knowing that people in other parts of the world get to experience it through Netflix makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

  • Matty Maggiacomo’s 20-minute Evening Stretch 22-12-14 on Peloton. What a gorgeous class. I haven’t prioritized doing it every night because like I said, things feel a bit wobbly right now, but I’d like to incorporate it into my nightly routine. Stretching is something I’d like to focus on this year and classes like this will keep me motivated.

  • “Friendship Will Save Us” by David Gate. The line “take care of their names when they’re not in the room” gives me chills.

  • The Anna Kendrick episode of Armchair Expert. Oof. I love Armchair Expert but I haven’t been able to articulate what about it feels so intensely meaningful to me. I mean, yes, it’s entertaining, it’s interesting, it’s often funny, but why do I love love it? And it came to me while listening to this episode: it reflects the opposite of toxic masculinity. It’s vulnerable and intentional and sensitive and so important.

What are you loving this week?

Stuff I Love This Week

As I stumble toward winter solstice and the promise of (barely) longer days, I am clinging white-knuckled to each and every ounce of joy I find. Join me?

  • Mythic Quest on Apple TV+. How did I not know about this show until its third season? One of the main characters is named Poppy. I’m disappointed in myself but I’m not disappointed that now I have three seasons to binge with Shawn because we both think it’s hilarious.

  • This planner. I love a good list and making plans and setting intentions for 2023 is more enjoyable with the perfect place to write them down.

  • The You’re Wrong About episodes that feature survival correspondent Blair Braverman. I am mostly an inside cat but I like to listen and learn about outdoorsy stuff and I love listening to Blair Braverman specifically talk about outdoorsy stuff. I followed her on Twitter for her Iditarod stories (again, because I don’t want to do the outdoorsy stuff, I just want to hear about other people doing the outdoorsy stuff) and I’ve been a fan ever since.

  • I made my Grandma’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie but instead of making a pie crust, I used 30 pre-made three-inch tart shells from the grocery store. The recipe filled the tart shells perfectly, they tasted great, and overall I was delighted.

  • Miss Vickie’s Sweet & Spicy Ketchup Chips. I love ketchup chips (my Canadian is showing) so my brother gave me a bag of these and I am hooked. At first I thought the “spicy” part of the name was false advertising because all I taste is sweet with a bit of tangy, but as you continue to eat them, there’s a slow burn that hits you on the finish. A+ chip flavour experience.

What stuff do you love this week?